A Warrior's Guide to Battling Illness

WHY TRAIN

In my many years of both dealing with health problems and instructing martial arts I have been afforded the opportunity to acquaint myself with many people who also suffered from some sort of disease or handicap. Those that have had the hardest time dealing with their condition had one thing in common, they saw themselves as victims. They were no longer able to do the things they once loved and they became angry or withdrawn. These actions only added to their problems which is why it is important to develop a fighting spirit. By training yourself to become a warrior, you can learn, adapt, and overcome your enemy. Turning away from the attitude of a victim and being willing to fight that enemy makes you stronger. Strength of mind and spirit are the Warrior’s greatest weapons.

BEGINNING TRAINING

So where do you begin your training? You’ve seen those martial arts movies and you know there is no way you can perform those kinds of acrobatics. You do not have the energy or time required to master such an art and with your health problems you could not do it even if you wanted to. If this is what you are thinking. . .relax. We're not going to try to make a black belt out of you. We are going to concentrate on some of the basic exercises, and you will find that there will be nothing beyond your abilities. If there is an exercise you find difficult look for ways to adapt it to fit your own aptitude. As an instructor I have learned that you must change the karate to fit the student, not change the student to fit the karate. Remember we are trying to give you the fighting spirit of a warrior, not become a great street fighter.

ALL BATTLES BEGIN IN THE MIND

A warrior knows that they can only conquer that which they have already defeated in their mind. Sports teams that go out on the field of play only hoping for a win will probably fail and a boxer who is intimidated by his opponent is already beaten. In much the same way someone who gives into their disease only adds to their suffering. Changing our attitude is a difficult task because the battle is within our own minds and winning this struggle is no easy journey. Adopting the mindset of a warrior will be part of prevailing over your illness.

One of the first things I learned as a martial artist was that to train the mind you must also train the body. The exercise a martial artist does always has an aspect that develops the mind. Simply doing a push up or running stairs will strengthen the body, but without the mental exercise to focus on, the mind gains nothing. Mind and body are one and to cope with serious health problems you must develop both. You must develop a warrior’s spirit. The lessons that follow will help train both the physical and mental parts of your body to confront your illness. Together we can do this.